Trust Your Teammate
by 10Ten
Summary: Team Gai has done everything together: Puberty, the chunin exams, a couple of near death experiences... They trust each other with their most embarrassing moments and their lives. But even the closest of friendships can dissolve and change. This is the first time I've written a fanfiction so all comments and suggestions are welcome! Neji is alive, Nejiten, some Kakagai.
1. Chapter 1

Duck! Her right leg swept out as she dropped below her opponent. He managed to jump back before her leg connected. Back up. Her punch met his open fist and she used his grip on her fist to propel herself over his head. He followed her movements perfectly and did not give her a chance to stop. Kick, block, jump. She was panting and sweat dripped down her face, arms, chest, and back. There was no dry spot on her body. She was unsure how much longer she could keep going yet her opponent, while also sweaty, showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. Oh, if only she had had her weapons!

Tenten was quite skilled in taijutsu from all of her years training with Team Gai, but she also knew she was at her best with a weapon (or several) in her hands. Tenten also knew it is nearly impossible to defeat her opponent. She had been sparring with him for five years now and she had never won without her weapons. Even just a few months after nearly dying in the war, Neji was still almost impossible to beat. Almost.

With a deep breath, Tenten returned to the fight full force. Neji stumbled, not expecting her sudden surge in strength, but did not fall. Tenten aimed rapid kicks all over his body, leaving Neji entirely on the defensive. Tenten was not afraid to fight dirty in order to win and aimed a hard kick right at his crotch, a small grin on her face. Neji just barely dodged out of the way, a frown on his face, and Tenten rolled to control her forward momentum.

"That was not a fair move." He commented, his breathing even as he continued to move, blocking more and more hits from his sparring partner.

Tenten rolled her eyes even though he could not see it. The grin in her voice was audible and her breath was not nearly as controlled as his when she replied. "If this was a real fight, and I was fighting someone who was trying to kill me, I am not too worried about being fair."

"She's, right, Neji!" Lee shouted, observing the match. He had been sitting on the side and shouting encouragements to the two since they had started. "A kick is a kick, no matter where it is placed."

Neji muttered something about wearing a cup to the rest of their practices and Tenten couldn't help but snort. They continued their spar for several more minutes, each minute wore the pair down even more. Neji's composed breathing soon became labored.

When Tenten finally had Neji pinned to the ground it took her several seconds to realize she had actually won. He was laying flat on his back, breathing heavy as she straddled his chest. Her knees dug into his ribs. She blinked down at him, confused. His face looked equally confused and was several shades redder than she had ever seen him.

"YOSH!" Lee shouted, jumping up and down several feet away. "Tenten! You won!" Before Lee finished his sentence Neji shoves his partner off of him and onto the grass. He stood gracefully in the same movement. He instantly reached down and grabbed her upper arm to haul her to her feet. If she hadn't known any better she would have said he looked sheepish.

"Good job, Ten." Neji said, looking at her but not quite meeting her eyes. Tenten squinted at him. It had been a long time since he had reacted poorly to losing a spar. In fact, Tenten couldn't remember the last time he had.

"Thanks."

"Alright, alright." Lee clapped his hands together. "Now that you two are done we must engage in a youthful dinner! Neji, as loser and as the one of us with the most money," Tenten snorted, he wasn't wrong. "you should buy all of us dinner tonight! Ichiraku Ramen? Race you there!"

Lee had started to run off but Neji caught the back of his bright green jumpsuit before he could move. Lee paused and Neji released the spandex. It made a rather disturbing snapping sound against Lee's skin.

"I am sorry, but I have other obligations. I will not be joining you two for dinner; however, tell Teuchi I will cover the cost of your dinner." Neji nodded to each of them before leaving. The pair watched his back as he headed in the direction of the Hyuga compound.

Tenten was frowning at his retreating figure, but Lee didn't seem to notice her disappointment and was already charging ahead towards the Ramen stand.

"Tenten! Last one there must piggyback the other one home tonight!"

Obviously, Lee won the challenge, having a good head start and being ten times more interested in the challenge than Tenten had been. Still, Tenten did not look forward to carrying her teammate home. Physically she could carry Lee and probably Neji and Gai sensei all at the same time; however, she wasn't sure her pride could handle the weight of Lee riding her back and shouting, waving, and being generally unable to stay still while she carried him.

Lee ordered for the two, knowing exactly what Tenten wanted from the countless times they had gotten ramen together. He told Teuchi that Neji was treating them tonight and the man laughed and made a comment about how Neji should be happy Naruto wasn't on his team. Tenten was sure Neji was happy Naruto wasn't on their team regardless of Naruto's ramen appetite. Neji had softened a lot since his battle with Naruto and carried a true fondness in his heart for the orange boy. Neji would literally sacrifice his life for Naruto (as he proved in the war when he nearly died taking the stakes into his body to protect Hinata and Naruto) but that didn't mean Naruto didn't annoy Neji to no end.

Steaming bowls of ramen were placed in front of Tenten and Lee. They both thanked Teuchi and picked up their chopsticks. Tenten took a bite out of her ramen, letting the salty flavors rush over her tongue. She liked ramen although it wasn't her favorite. She'd rather be somewhere with dessert. Lee, on the other hand, was digging into his food with reckless abandon. Tenten occasionally felt splashes against her arm from his youthful, enthusiastic eating.

"What do you think that was about?" Tenten asked, chewing lightly on the end of her chopstick. "Neji," She clarified, seeing Lee's confused look. "He seemed… off after we sparred. Do you think I hurt him? Or something?"

"Oh, I did not notice! I think our Neji would tell us if something were wrong, especially if he were injured, don't you?"

"I guess… I mean he has hidden injuries in the past. Remember in the Land of Snow when he broke his ankle and didn't tell us, then nearly fell off the side of the mountain we were climbing?"

"No."

Tenten huffed, "Well that's probably because you weren't the one he was tied to. Anyways, what I'm saying is he would hide something from us if he were embarrassed."

"Well…" Lee trailed off. "Maybe you should just ask him? I'm sure it is a simple explanation, but if he really is injured you should help him! That is what teammates are for." As Lee finished his sentence, he snatched a piece of shrimp from Tenten's bowl of ramen.

"And for eating their Ramen once you finish your own?" Tenten said wryly, batting his chopstick away with her own when he went for another bite. "Here, eat the Narutomaki. I don't like eating Narutos."

"I would be honored to eat Naruto! That way I will become stronger, just like how Naruto is being stronger every day! I will eat Naruto every day!" Lee shouted, pumping his fist in the air with his words. Tenten's cheeks went red at his choice of words, and only went redder when the two other patrons looked over at them with a mix of confusion and horror on their faces.

"Uhh… thanks Bushy Brows." Naruto's voice came from behind them, and he sounded like he was trying not to laugh. Tenten and Lee turned to face him, Tenten still red and Lee still oblivious.

Naruto was wearing his signature goofy grin and standing half behind him holding his hand was Hinata. Their relationship was new, and it warmed Tenten's heart to see how right the two looked together.

"You are very welcome, Naruto! Please join us for ramen!" Lee was bouncing in his seat at the couple sat down beside him. "I am almost finished, but Tenten is still eating and we would love to talk to you!"

"Thanks Lee." Hinata smiled warmly. Being close with Neji, Tenten and Lee had become very close with Hinata, Tenten especially. Whenever Tenten visited Neji at the Hyuga compound she made sure to swing by and see Hinata. Sometimes the three of them would sit and drink tea together, but more often than not they would train together. Neji liked to watch Hinata and Tenten spar so that he could call out helpful tips to the both of them, and he also liked to have Tenten watch he and Hinata spar so she could return the favor.

Lee and Naruto chatted quickly and excitedly, too fast for Tenten to keep up with especially as she had Neji's weird behavior on her mind. Neji was not a sore loser. Something had to have been wrong. She went over in her mind their entire fight and could not remember doing anything that would have seriously injured him. Maybe if she had gotten that low blow in… but no, he had blocked that. So, something else must have been wrong. But what?

"Hinata," Tenten asked quietly, "is Neji okay? He was acting kind of strange earlier. And he didn't want to join us for dinner."

Hinata's cheeks turned pink and her face reminded Tenten of the days when she was terrified of being close to Naruto. Tenten worried for a moment that the other girl might faint. "Oh…" She coughed. "Um. He has a date. Well, kind of. More like. A marriage interview?"

Tenten inhaled sharply, and immediately began to choke on her ramen. Lee pounded her on the back to clear her airways.  
"He. What?" Tenten asked, too out of breath to form full, proper sentences. "Marriage?"

All eyes were on Hinata and she started pressing her fingers together in nervousness. Naruto looked shocked at the news, but Lee was simply nodding.

"Ah yes! Neji is to meet one of his potential youthful flowers tonight so that they may have dinner and he may decide if he is interested! He told me this yesterday. I think he must have been very excited about this date because he did leave rather quickly after training today."

Tenten felt her eyes scrunch together and her lips turn down into a frown. He definitely hadn't mentioned anything like that to her. Didn't he trust her? She was sure they were closer than he and Lee. But maybe she was wrong?

Hinata seemed amused by Lee's comment. "Excited is not the word I would use. He was very nervous and dreading it, I think. He is not interested in marriage, nor is he very interested in marrying into the main branch."

"Ohhh eww aren't you guys like cousins?" Naruto asked, "It's not Hanabi is it?"

"No! Definitely not Hanabi. We are cousins, but Neji is not directly related to everyone in the main family. This is someone very distant from his side of the family. Most Hyuga marry within the family, to keep the bloodline pure. And as Neji is a strong side branch family member, Father wants Neji to marry into the main family." Hinata answered, looking mildly uncomfortable for more reasons than just the attention being on her. "Her name is Kaori. I do not know her well, but she is nice from what I have heard and very pretty. She has the byakugon and is training to combine it with medical jutsu."

Tenten made an involuntary face of annoyance. Of course, she had to be pretty much perfect. Nothing less for Neji, the prodigy.

Dinner soon finished and Tenten found herself carrying Lee on her back to his home. On the other side of the village.

Lee did in fact end up talking to everyone on the way home. He waved to the little old ladies, to the little kids trying to run home before it got dark, and to every other single person they passed on the street. When they passed by Kiba, Lee started a conversation with him and Tenten kept walking, forcing Kiba to walk with them. He didn't comment on their travel methods.

They were almost to Lee's home when they ran right into the lovely couple of the night, Kaori and Neji. Hinata was being modest, Kaori was more than just pretty. She was gorgeous. Her pale skin glowed with the sunset, her long dark hair bounced and swayed gently as she walked, and her walk was more like a dancer's than a ninja's. Even her Hyuga eyes looked pretty, whereas on most people they just looked intimidating. And, Tenten couldn't see a scar on her! Could she really be a ninja?

Tenten didn't normally compare herself to other girls, but she just couldn't help it in this moment. She thought of the thousand bobby pins and gallons of hairspray holding her buns in place and of the scars that covered almost every inch of her body. Most were faded and barely visible, but there were many that seemed to stand out like a billboard. Her arms were especially scarred from all of her years of handling sharp objects and occasionally stabbing herself when trying to get fancy. Running a hand down her arm would feel like rubbing a child's macaroni art piece.

Lee interrupted Tenten's thoughts with a cheerful greeting. He leaned over Tenten's head, nearly doubling her over with one hand pressed on her back and the other extended towards Kaori. "Hello, Neji! It is good to see you again. And you must be Kaori! We have heard so many youthful things about you! We hope you enjoy your date with our Neji. He is a fantastic shinobi and an even better man!"

Kaori smiled at Lee, but it didn't quite meet her eyes. She looked apprehensive but still reached to shake Lee's hand. "Hello, it is nice to meet you." Her voice was deeper than Tenten expected. Tenten was also pretty sure she had absolutely no idea who either of them were.

"Lee," Tenten couldn't tell if he was annoyed or amused. His voice sounded amused, but his eyebrows were pinched together. "Why are you on Tenten's back?"

"Tenten lost the challenge! She must carry me home on her back now. And if she cannot make it home, she will do 1000 laps around the village!"

"Hey," Tenten started, straightening up. Lee tightened his legs around her middle to keep from sliding off. "Why wasn't I told that was an option? I'd rather run the laps than carry you home!"

"This is better team bonding, Tenten! I see Gai Sensei and Kakashi Sensei do this training exercise often!" Lee refused to slide off of Tenten's back. Tenten muttered something about their relationship being very different from Gai Sensei and Kakashi Sensei's relationship, but Lee ignored her. "We will always be the best team in Konoha, right, Neji?"

"We will always aim to improve." Neji said smoothly, taking his dates arm into the crook of his elbow. "Now, if you will excuse us…"

Tenten watched the couple with a sick feeling in her stomach. Not only had Neji not trusted her enough to tell her about his date, but he obviously hadn't told his date anything about them. She carried Lee home and didn't say a word the entire time, even as Lee tried to engage her in conversation.

When he finally slid off her back, Lee gave her a concerned look. His two giant eyebrows joined together in a way that would have been comical under different circumstances. "Tenten, is everything alright? You have been uncharacteristically quiet tonight."

Tenten smiled at Lee. "I'll be okay, Lee. Just a lot on my mind."

Lee pulled her into a big hug, "Do not let your thoughts worry you, Tenten, everything will turn out alright. We, your teammates will always have your back. Trust me. Trust us!" Lee ended his little speech with a big thumbs up and a sparkling smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite Lee's words, Tenten could not stop thinking about what had happened. She laid awake for several hours, tossing and turning in her bed before getting up, accepting that she wouldn't be sleeping that night. She would do what she normally did when she had a lot on her mind: train.

It was still dark outside when Tenten slipped out in her training gear. She only crossed paths with two people as she ran across the village to Team Gai's favorite training grounds.

She was only a few feet away from the training grounds when she realized someone was already there. And not just anyone. Neji.

Normally, Tenten would be thrilled to run into Neji and be able to train with him, maybe even talk to him about what was on her mind. But today she just wanted to forget about him. Hurt still flashed in her chest when she thought about how he hadn't trusted her.

She debated turning around and leaving but knew that if she could sense Neji's chakra that he could sense hers. With a sigh she jumped the fence separating the village from the training grounds.

As Tenten got closer to where Neji's chakra burned brightest the sounds of grunts and flesh striking the surface of a thick, old tree began to fill her ears. When she reached the tree Neji was attacking she saw the tight lines of stress in his body, the pinched brow, and the sweat dripping off of him. He made no move to acknowledge her so Tenten followed his example and didn't talk. She immediately set to work on her own tree.

With Neji so close Tenten could not get the questions off her mind. Even attacking the tree with fervor could not distract her from her own thoughts. She couldn't hold back her thoughts.

"Okay, Neji, what gives? Why didn't you tell me? How could you tell Lee and not me?" The questions exploded from Tenten even as she continued to kick the tree.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Neji responded through gritted teeth.

"You know what I am talking about! You're going to be getting married? You're going on dates with fancy ladies in order to find the one who will produce the best Hyuga babies with you? Any of that ring a bell?" Tenten retorted.

"And what about it?"

"So, you don't deny it?"

"Well I am definitely not getting married or having kids anytime soon, but the clan does believe I should start looking for a suitable mate now. So, yes, I am starting to date. What is wrong with that? You are always saying I should have more of a social life, dragging me out to drink with you and to get dinner with the rest of our old class." Neji retorted, his voice defensive.

Tenten's face was turning red, not from the exertion of hitting the tree but from the anger blossoming within her.

"What is wrong with that?! Nothing, I am so happy you're finally getting laid! What's wrong is you didn't tell me! I consider you my best friend, Neji, you know everything about me. For fucks sake, you knew I had gotten my period for the first time before I even did! How could you not tell me something like this?"

Instead of responding, Neji broke the tree he had been hitting in half. It fell with a loud crash that echoed around the pair. Birds squawked, and all of the small animals in their vicinity went scurrying off in fear. No one said a word for several moments after the tree fell.

When Neji finally did respond, it was with a calm, cold voice. "I did not tell you because I did not feel it was any of your business."

Tenten sputtered, having no coherent response. Neji began to stalk off of the training grounds away from her, his body betraying the emotions his voice hid. If Neji had been in a cartoon, smoke would be coming from his ears. He didn't get very far away from Tenten when she threw a kunai at him close enough that a few of his hairs drifted towards the forest floor.

What most people did not know about Neji Hyuga was that he was very protective of his hair, and for good reason. Not only was it long and beautiful, it had once been used to save his life when he had nearly died on his mission to retrieve Sasuke. Tenten did not know the details of how it had been used but she did remember how self-conscious Neji had been of his short locks following the procedure. Tenten was also pretty sure there was some thing about power and hair length in the Hyuga clan, but that had never been confirmed to her.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, Hyuga. We are going to talk about this. This is not us. We are best friends, teammates, siblings, and- "

Tenten's words were cut off by a strong gust of energy that knocked her off of her feet and into the tree behind her. Using muscle memory, she was easily able to kick off of the tree without any injury. Neji was crouched in a battle position, hands out.

Well, if he wanted to fight, Tenten would give him a fight. With a grin that could be described as feral, Tenten whipped a scroll out and summoned a large array of weapons all connected to a long string of her chakra. Tenten jumped straight up into the tree above her. Long-range fighting was her specialty and finding high ground as quickly as possible was her best chance at defeating him.

Neji's ability to see exactly where she was at all times with his byakugon would make most sneak attacks pointless. She knew she would soon have to engage him in close range combat, his specialty.

The sun was beginning to rise and Tenten squinted down to where Neji stood, ready for her attacks. He was staring straight at her with the cold, intimidating look he usually saved for enemies and the people who annoyed him the most.

Her weapons went flying and he easily dodged several of them and batted the others away with his own kunai. The fight began. This was no practice spar, this was the two of them working their feelings out in probably the worst way possible. But they were ninjas, and honestly this was the only way they really knew how to communicate. Gai had always preached the cleansing benefits of a good workout.

Neji, typically a very patient person, was not having it that day. The next time Tenten's barrage of weapons came towards him he reached out and grabbed the string of chakra, molding his own with it in order to yank Tenten out of her tree and towards the ground. Tenten let out a yelp as her body rushed to the ground and landed as gracefully as she could, carefully avoiding landing on her various weapons littering the ground. Getting cut by your own weapons was not a good look.

Neji rushed towards her, and she knew she had to be careful not to get into the range of his attack. She reached for her scroll to summon a sword but didn't have a chance. A gentle fist to her bicep left her whole arm tingling and her feet stumbling back.

Tenten would have to hold him back or distract him long enough to be able to summon her weapons. She got in a taijutsu stance and started to fight back, dancing away from Neji's hands when she needed to.

She couldn't find a chance to summon her sword so she created a distraction by throwing a smoke bomb and jumping as high as she could into the air. As she went up, she yanked the scroll she needed out and summoned from the air. She gripped the sword with both hands and brought it straight down towards her opponent, using the velocity from plummeting to the ground to add to her strength.

Neji brought a kunai up to block the sword but it was no match for Tenten, and he was forced to drop it. The impact reverberated through her arms. Ignoring this feeling, she went right back on the attack, swinging her sword so fast and with such accuracy that someone who didn't know her well would be unable to keep up. That being said, Neji knew her better than anyone and was keeping up with ease. The byakugon also gave him an upper hand.

The rising sun started to burn the back of Tenten's neck, and she wiped some sweat from her brow. Neji saw his opening and sent his palm straight into her core. The breath whooshed from Tenten's body as she flew back and onto the ground.

Every breath clawed at her throat as she fought to breathe again. Neji's face loomed over her and she forced herself to sit up. She did not want to appear weak in front of him.

"I am sorry." Neji said, his voice stiff and formal. She hadn't heard him speak so tightly to her in a long, long time. Tenten's brain was catapulted back to when she and Neji first met. It was almost more distressing than her inability to breathe. She definitely had some bruised ribs, possibly even fractured.

"Yeah, well, you should be." Tenten gasped out. Neji spun on his heel and walked away from her. This time, she let him.

Tenten sat there for a long time, thinking over what had just happened. She and Neji had never had a fight quite like this before. Sure, sometimes he got annoyed with her for being silly and sometimes she got mad at him for having a stick up his butt, but he hadn't been this cold with her in years.

Tenten felt like she did not even know her best friend anymore.

She was still sitting on the ground contemplating the past twenty-four hours with Neji when Lee and Gai Sensei came rushing through the training grounds. Lee was pushing Gai Sensei's wheelchair at high speeds and they were both laughing, their shiny bowl cuts flowing as majestically behind them as they could. They stopped short as soon as they saw her.

"Tenten! My dear flower!" Gai Sensei's voice was calmer than usual, and he sounded concerned. "What has made you cry?"

Tenten blinked rapidly and scrubbed at her face. She had not even realized she had started crying. How embarrassing was that! To be found sitting by herself crying. How pathetic. She could feel her cheeks warming and scowled.

"Sorry, Sensei, it's nothing." Tenten said as brightly as she could muster, jumping onto her feet. "So, what's the plan for today? Laps on our hands, sparring, ooh can we go swimming? We haven't gone swimming in a while."

"Swimming! Swimming! Swimming!" Lee cheered, oblivious to her mood and already stripping out of the horrid green jumpsuit. Underneath he wore equally green, equally tight, and equally horrid briefs.

Lee began to sprint towards the water, his body a blur of pale skin and green as he ran as fast as he could. "Last one in has to do 1,000 laps around the lake!" His voice floated back to Tenten and Gai Sensei.

Tenten rolled her eyes and was about to take off after him when Gai Sensei's voice brought her to a stop. It was soft, and caring, and usually only used when Gai had truly bad news or Tenten was very upset. Maybe he used it on the other members of their team, but Tenten had never heard him use it with them and liked to pretend it was special just for her.

"Where is Neji?"

Tenten just shrugged, she did not want to talk about that right now. She just wanted to go swimming. Gai Sensei didn't push the matter, which Tenten was grateful for.

Gai Sensei was truly one of the best things to ever happen to Tenten. As an orphan who couldn't remember her parents, he was the closest thing she'd ever had to a parental figure. He had helped her with so much and while she was almost constantly annoyed by his flamboyant behavior, she was also eternally grateful to him.

Neji arrived about an hour later, to which Lee cheerfully informed him that as the last member of the team to reach the lake he had to do the laps. Neji halfheartedly argued with Lee for a minute, stating that he could not be held to those terms as he was not present when they were set. He sounded like a lawyer. Tenten tried to tune them out by swimming away. It didn't help.

"Could you two just shut up?" Tenten snapped at them. She instantly regretted it when Lee turned to her with wide eyes and a wobbling mouth. "I'm sorry Lee, I- "

Gai Sensei interrupted her before she could finish.

"Now Tenten, that's not the way we should speak to our teammates. We should always speak to our teammates with love and respect. That is especially important for us, because we are more than teammates. We are a family."

"You're right Gai Sensei, I'm sorry." She responded with her head bowed. They were a family, but something wasn't right, and it was driving her crazy. They had to fix this. Their team was known for being efficient, and for working together as if they could hear each other's thoughts. If they didn't fix this thing before their next mission, Tenten worried they would no longer be the team they had always been.


	3. Chapter 3

Tenten couldn't figure out how to fix the problem. Hell, she wasn't even entirely sure what the problem was. All she knew was it had something to do with Neji and his haughty ass.

So, she didn't want any ninja would do. She threw herself into her work by going straight to the Hokage's office and requesting a mission separate from her main squad. This request was slightly complicated by the fact that the Hokage was her Sensei's boyfriend, and someone she saw almost every weekend at their family dinners.

Kakashi squinted at her from across the table. His scar wrinkled, and Tenten thought about how even after all this time she still felt weird seeing both of his eyes. She forced herself to maintain eye contact anyways.

After several long moments, Kakashi sighed. "I'm not going to ask you why, because it's not my place, but I am going to tell you that Gai will not be happy. Because that is my place to say."

Tenten nodded but didn't say a word. She didn't know what to say. She knew Gai would be upset but that wasn't the point right now. Right now, she needed space, and Gai would just have to respect that. Like how Kakashi was respecting her now by not asking her why.

Kakashi sighed again, "Alright, I can put you on a mission. Shino is injured right now, but I could really use Kiba for tracking. You can be Team Eight's long-distance fighter."

Tenten felt herself physically deflate. Dog boy and Neji's cousin? Not exactly the mission she wanted, but beggars couldn't be choosers. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"They leave tomorrow at sunrise. Hinata can explain while you're traveling. It shouldn't last more than two weeks."

Tenten thanked him again once more before leaving. She was already packed, having always had a scroll for missions prepared, but she always double checked her things before a mission.

Despite their recent frustrations, she also needed to say goodbye to her teammates. This shouldn't be a particularly dangerous mission considering she was being tacked onto it last minute, but even the easiest of missions could turn sour fast. Leaving without saying goodbye was not how Team Gai worked.

She went to Gai Sensei first, before Kakashi could talk to him. She didn't mention that she had specifically asked to be sent on a mission without their team and she hoped she was gone before Kakashi dropped that truth bomb. Even still, Gai studied her intentionally for a minute after he released her from a hug. His stare was too serious, and she felt as if he could see right through her.

"Sometimes change is good, Tenten." Was all he said before grabbing some curry from the fridge. He handed it to her, and she accepted it with a smile. It was customary for Gai Sensei to give them each a bowl of curry before they went on missions without the rest of the team.

Next, she went to Lee's apartment. She didn't stay there long because to this day she still couldn't handle his emotions. It warmed her heart to think of how much he cared for her, but in the moment, it was just too much. She hugged him tight and promised she would be okay before leaving.

Finally, she found herself outside of Neji's door. The hardest one to say goodbye to. Standing outside of the Hyuga compound she almost turned around without saying goodbye. But in her heart, Tenten knew if she did that, she'd be creating an even bigger rift between the two of them. So, she puffed up her chest and knocked on his door. She waited a minute with no response before knocking again, a little louder.

When his door swung open Tenten felt her breath leave her. Neji was standing in the doorway with bleary eyes, his hair tied back, and only wearing a pair of loose white shorts. Every time she saw his bare chest Tenten was shocked all over again.

Neji had survived the spikes entering his body, barely, but they had left deep marks marring most of his torso. It looked like someone had taken a few giant scoops out of him.

The longer she stared, the less bleary his eyes became and the more his scowl deepened. He went back into his bedroom and pulled on his normal kimono. Tenten followed him inside.

His voice was soft despite the scowl on his face. He knew exactly what was wrong without even asking. "You have seen these scars a hundred times, Tenten. I do not know what to do anymore. I even swim with a shirt on."

"Sorry… it just shocks me every time."

"I know."

"I keep remembering how close we were to losing you."

"I know."

"I never want to feel that away again Neji, it was horrible." To Tenten's horror, her eyes began to burn, and she worried she would cry.

Neji crossed the room and wrapped his teammate up in his arms. Tenten was the perfect height to bury her face into the crook of his neck. He smelled nice, he smelled like home to her. This was how they were meant to be, not keeping secrets from each other.

On that note, Tenten pulled away. Neji was smiling at her in the way he usually reserved for his teammates.

"So, why were you stopping by?" Neji asked as he sat down on the bed.

Tenten laid down on the bed, stretching out like she owned it. "Oh, I'm going on a mission with Team Eight first thing tomorrow. Wanted to tell you."  
"Oh." There was a long pause before Neji spoke again. "Okay, be careful. What will you be doing?"  
She shrugged, "Not sure. I have to ask Hinata. I'm assuming I'll mostly be providing backup for Kiba. He's tracking something."

Neji nodded and reclined back beside her. The pair stayed there staring at the ceiling for several minutes without speaking. It was peaceful, and Tenten nearly dozed off. Normally they would hang out at her place, Neji still not feeling entirely comfortable at the Hyuga compound, but Neji's room was still a familiar place for her.

Tenten just had to go and ruin that peace.

"So, when were you going to tell me about your new wife?"

Neji's whole body stiffened, "If you want to fight you can just leave."

"That's not what I want." Tenten said quickly and waited a second for Neji to say something. When he didn't, she continued, "I just…felt… well." She scrunched her nose up as she was thinking.

"I did not mean to make you feel bad," Neji cut her off. "I did not tell you because this may not end up being anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" Tenten sat up at the discomfort in Neji's voice and peered at his face. His cheeks were flushed, and he was refusing to make eye contact with her. "You know I do not wish to get married. I am just doing this to please my family."

"Neji, look at me." Tenten commanded. Neji looked at her, but his white eyes still didn't quite meet her own. "You do not have to do anything you do not want to do. Remember, you control your fate."

"Thanks, Tenten."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: So…. It has been a while! I'm in a totally different country now so that's crazy. Thank you to everyone who has commented on this story and encouraged me to keep writing! Without y'all I probably would have quietly dropped this and moved on. I'm going to be honest, I'm not entirely sure where this story is going but I'm glad to be working on it again. I'm going to go back and edit some of the older chapters because I saw some mistakes in there that need to be fixed but content wise they shouldn't change. Also I promise there won't be a fight scene in every chapter lol I just really enjoy writing fights.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

The trees flew underneath them in a green blur. They were moving quickly, but their speed could not match the grueling pace Gai Sensei usually set for his team. Tenten wished they would move a little bit faster. She wanted to be home soon enough to get a shower and sleep in her own bed.

The time away from her team had given her the chance to reflect on her feelings and calm down. She realized she had been a teensy bit jealous of Neji and his new girlfriend, or wife applicant, whatever he wanted to call her. She also realized she could never admit that she was jealous to another human being.

Who would she tell anyways? Neji was her best friend, and she didn't want him to feel bad. It wasn't really his fault. Lee would tell Neji. Gai Sensei… no. She had never been close with any of the kunoichi her age, except Hinata. And telling Hinata would be a disaster. She'd tell Naruto and Naruto would spin a whole story about how Tenten was in love with Neji. Which was definitely not true.

She was just lonely, and maybe a little afraid of losing her best friend.

Maybe she should start dating again. She'd never had much luck in the love department. Very few boys approached her, and when they did, they didn't stick around long. They were mostly civilian boys. Tenten assumed she was a bit too masculine or maybe eccentric for them. It didn't normally bother her. She didn't want to date someone who couldn't handle her or her ninja career.

"Let's make camp for the night." Kiba called out, breaking Tenten out of her thoughts and dropping below the tree line before Tenten could respond.

She scowled down where he had dropped. Because the mission had been centered around Kiba's nose, Kakashi had named him team leader. Which meant Tenten had to listen to what Dog boy told her to do. It was frustrating. She was obviously smarter if not more skilled than Dog boy, and definitely older and more experienced. She should have been the one leading the mission.

"We're only a few hours away from Konoha!" Tenten exclaimed, landing hard beside Kiba. He was laying his bed roll out on the ground. Hinata was nowhere in sight, probably gathering wood for a fire or refilling their canteens with water. Tenten had learned that team eight was pretty efficient and already had a way of running things. She didn't fit into that equation and hadn't really tried.

"We are at least eight hours away from Konoha!" Kiba said. Akamaru barked in agreement beside him, laying his head down on his paws and yawning.

"We could make it there in four hours easily!"

"We would have to run pretty fucking fast to make it to Konoha in four hours," Kiba glared at Tenten. "I am the mission leader and I think we should stop for the night."

Tenten was glaring right back at Kiba and would have argued more if Hinata had not made her entrance right then. She smoothly slipped between the two angry ninjas and set some firewood down.

"Who wants to make the fire?" She asked, obviously aware of their argument but choosing to ignore it. She had a bandage on her cheek from where she had gotten a little too close to one of Tenten's exploding kunai tags. Thankfully, that had been the only injury the whole team had sustained, but Tenten still felt a little guilty for not warning the girl in time and immediately went to help her with the fire.

"Tenten, do you mind being lookout tonight?" Kiba's question sounded more like a command. Tenten gritted her teeth. Not only were they stopping unnecessarily, but she couldn't even sleep during their break?

Regardless, Tenten grumbled out a yes as she finished making the fire. Kiba was already curling up with Akamaru and Hinata sent her a grateful smile as she went and joined the pair. Tenten jumped onto the branch of a nearby tree in order to have the best visual range while on lookout.

To keep herself entertained and awake, she flipped a kunai in her hands over and over again. She wanted to go home. She decided that if she had to be the one to keep watch she was going to wake them up in a few hours and demand they finish their trek to Konoha.

Sitting there in that tree, her eyes began to get heavy and sting. She fought back a big yawn and stretched out her shoulders. A cold breeze passed through, making her shiver. How much longer should she let them sleep, she wondered. Another hour or so?

To keep herself up and moving, Tenten began carving random shapes into the tree branch she was straddling. A star, some hearts, a star, anything she could think of. The bark came up easily to her satisfaction.

A sudden noise nearby made her ears perk up. She stood up, kunai out, and glanced around. She didn't see anything. She looked over to where Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru slept. Akamaru seemed to have noticed the noise too because he was blinking sleep from his eyes slowly and checking his surroundings.

Tenten didn't see anything. It could have just been an animal or even the wind that made that sound. But something inside of her said it was more than that. She cautiously jumped from her tree and landed lightly beside Kiba and Hinata. Being ninja, they instantly woke up at the sound. Kiba jumped onto all fours, like Akamaru, and Hinata's face tensed as she activated her byakugon. The veins around her eyes stood out alarmingly against her beautiful face.

"Behind us." Her voice was a whisper in the wind, barely loud enough for Kiba and Tenten to hear. But that was all they needed. They both moved as if they had been teammates for years, Tenten immediately summoning weapons from her scrolls as she dove for the trees and Kiba running with Akamaru in the direction Hinata had indicated. They were trained ninjas, and they moved like it.

Hinata stood slowly and stayed behind the other two, being their eyes in the dark. "Kiba, there's two slightly to your left. Tenten someone is circling behind."

Tenten nodded moved to face the other direction. She squinted into the darkness of the trees in an attempt to see the enemy but saw nothing.

"Tenten, seven o'clock. Be careful, I think he's a fire user."

Tenten instantly turned on her heel and felt a blast of heat as she did. The fire passed so close to her a few of the little hairs on her arms disintegrated, and the trunk beside her was scorched. The smell of burning wood filled the air, and smoke clouded Tenten's already limited vision.

"Everyone okay?" Kiba's voice was breathless and strained. "I smell fire."

Tenten didn't have time to respond as another fireball was lobbed in her direction. Whoever was throwing the fire must have had terrible aim, Tenten thought, because despite the large size of the fireballs, they weren't hitting her. A flaming tree branch nearly snapped and fell to the earth, catching several sections of the tree ablaze. Smoke started to fill the air, catching in Tenten's throat and making her cough. She stood her ground, knowing despite the fire she would be able to fight best from the trees.

In retaliation to the fireballs, Tenten released a handful of senbon in the direction they had come from. The senbon didn't have to hit perfectly; any hit would be helpful. Each thin blade was coated in a poison that would incapacitate the victim for several hours.

The sound of a man's yelp made Tenten grin. He wouldn't be shooting fireballs at her for much longer. It would only take a few minutes for the poison to kick in.

She was pulling out another scroll, preparing to summon more weapons, when the next fireball came from a direction she hadn't been expecting. It slammed into her side, the heat licking up arms and ribs quickly, and knocked her out of the tree. She hit the ground hard but didn't let it stun her. Instead, she immediately began rolling on the ground in an attempt to smother the painful flames eating her clothes.

Tenten breathed a sigh of relief as the flames disappeared and a loud thump came from a few feet away from her as the man's unconscious body hit the forest floor. She turned to go help Kiba and Hinata but didn't have a chance as they were both running over to her. Other than a few bruises and cuts, and one nasty looking burn on Kiba's leg, the pair seemed to have done well in their own battles.

"You okay, Tenten?" Hinata said as her eyes trailed over her body, catching on the burns on her side. Her byakugon was still activated, and Tenten knew from experience that she wasn't looking at surface level damage.

"Well, on the bright side I can feel my stomach, so the nerves aren't too damaged from the fire," Tenten said brightly. "On the downside, I can feel my stomach and it fucking hurts."

Kiba snorted, "I'll take it that means you're okay. Neither of us know any healing jutsu, so we'll just have to wrap it up and get it fixed when we're home."

"Sounds good to me, are your guys dead? I left mine alive but unconscious, so I need to tie him up if we're staying for a while." Tenten said with her head tilted towards the body lying a few feet from them.

"I've got the bodies." Hinata said as she moved towards where Tenten had left her opponent. "You two handle your injuries."

"Yes, Mom." Kiba grumbled. Hinata flashed a smile over her shoulder at him as she continued walking away. Akamaru, seemingly unharmed, came bounding past her with a roll of bandages in his mouth. Kiba took them from him and gave him a pat on the head in thanks.

Tenten couldn't help but wrinkle her nose, "Won't those have his saliva on them?"

Kiba shot her a glare at the same time Akamaru gave a short bark that sounded reproachful. "I promise you, it's fine."

"Okay, okay." Tenten surrendered without a fight, raising her hands up by her head. "Do you need any help wrapping your leg?"

"No thanks, but do you have any water?" Kiba asked as he sat on the ground with his leg out. Tenten had to forcibly stop herself from commenting on how rusty his kunai was as he pulled one out of his pouch and cut his pants leg right above his knee, removing the burned portion and exposing his wound better. He winced as he pulled away a portion that had gotten stuck to the tender skin.

"Yeah, here." Tenten passed her canteen of water over to him and watched as he drizzled some of the water onto his leg.

He sighed in relief as the water touched the burns. "Man, that felt good. You should do it too."

Tenten followed his lead, letting the water run over the burns that she now noticed spanned from the top of her rib cage down past her hip and in splotches over her arm. She was thankful that was the only hit he had landed.

"This would feel even better if the water were cold." Tenten said. She couldn't help but whine a little as she said it.

"It would." Kiba agreed. He was already wrapping his leg with the bandages Akamaru had retrieved. "I don't think we'll find any cold water around here, though."

"I think you're right." Tenten said wistfully, imagining how good it would feel to sink into a bath of ice water. Now that the adrenaline was dying down all she could feel was the heat radiating from her side.

Hinata rejoined them as Kiba tied off the bandages around Tenten's waist. They had managed to salvage enough of her shirt to keep her modestly covered, but just barely. She ignored the blush on Kiba's cheeks, wishing it were Neji or Lee helping her. They wouldn't make this awkward, they were ninjas, they were used to things like this. What did Kiba do when Hinata was injured, stand around gawking?

"I think they were just run of the mill bandits, hoping to rob us," Hinata announced without preamble. Her face was back to normal, just her big white eyes and no bulging veins. Not for the first time Tenten wondered how people who weren't used to the byakugon reacted to the jutsu. "Do you two want to head back now or rest a little longer?"

Kiba stretched his arms out above his head, yawning so wide that his jaw popped. "I could go for a few more hours of sleep, but I think we should head back to Konoha."

Tenten frowned at his burned leg, "Are you going to be able to run with that?"

"Sure, think you can keep up?"

Six hours later they arrived at the gates of Konoha a sweaty, dirty, tired, and sore mess. Hinata was the only one who looked presentable. Kiba and Tenten were leaning against each other and panting.

"There are literal pools of sweat in my burns and it feels like acid." Tenten said in a high-pitched whine, fanning her face with the arm she didn't have propped against Kiba's bicep.

"I think my leg is going to fall off."

"I think I lost a rib along the way, have you seen it? Akamaru, did you grab it?"

Akamaru barked and wagged his tail.

"I have no idea what that means."

"He said it was delicious." Kiba said.

Hinata's eyes were shining and she had a small grin on her face, "We could have waited to return."

"Then we'd just be sitting around complaining about how much pain we were in." Tenten pointed out.

"This way we'll get healed faster and the faster we get healed the faster we can go to sleep." Kiba added.

"Alright then, let's get you two to the hospital." Hinata said.

The three of them made their way to the hospital with minimal stares. The streets weren't too busy, due to it being around ten in the morning on a Monday. Most people were at work or school. Most people were also used to seeing the ninjas arrive in a wide variety of states. Still, Kiba and Tenten looked as if they had rolled around in a pile of dirt for a few hours and Tenten was wearing more bandages than shirt. So they received a few stares.

It didn't take long for the three of them to make it to the hospital and be treated, their burns faded to a particularly bad sunburn. Tenten nearly sobbed in relief as the green light soothed her skin but she held it in because she didn't want Kiba to make fun of her.

A nurse gave her a spare t-shirt to replace the blouse she had been wearing. It was plain black and functional, so Tenten accepted it with a thanks even though it had come from the hospitals lost and found. It was better than wearing a hospital gown.

Kiba and Hinata waited until she was ready to leave, so the three of them could leave together. Tenten thought it was sweet of them considering she wasn't really a part of their team. She wasn't sure if she would have thought to wait for them if she had been the first one done.

"Do you want to come by my place, Tenten?" Hinata asked.

Tenten couldn't resist a yawn as she shook her head. "Too tired, but thanks. Maybe I could stop by tonight for dinner?"

"That would be lovely," Hinata smiled. "I'll see you around six?"

"Sounds good to me."

Hinata waved as she turned down the road that lead to the Hyuga compound. That left Tenten and Kiba walking in semi-companionable silence. Tenten found that now that Kiba wasn't her team leader she didn't hate him as much. She would probably even be happy to be assigned to a mission with him as long as she was the team leader. He was still Dog boy, though.

"So, Tenten, how come we never hang out?" Kiba asked.

Tenten stopped walking for a second and he continued without her. She waited until she had caught back up to answer.

"I don't think we have a lot of the same interests?" Tenten said with her voice going up with a question.

"Sure we do." He said easily. "I can show you we do. How about we do something this Friday night?"

She frowned, "Do you mean like a date?"

"It could be, yeah, what do you say?"

Tenten was quiet for several moments as they continued walking. She stared at the sky with her head tilted. A date with Dog boy? Kiba? She had just been thinking she should go on more dates, but she hadn't had Kiba in mind.

She turned her head to Kiba who was purposefully not looking at her and walking with his hands in his jacket pockets. Despite still being a little disheveled from the mission, he wasn't unattractive, he had nice hair and pretty good style. She liked how he painted his face. He was a little too impulsive and cocky for her tastes, but she knew he also had some good qualities.

Why not go on a date with Kiba? A date wasn't a big commitment, and who knows, maybe she would find she enjoyed spending time with him. At least he was a ninja and couldn't complain about her job or be freaked out by her.

"You know what, sure, it's a date." Tenten said as they reached the door to her apartment. She turned to him and said firmly, "Seven PM, don't be late."

He grinned wide back at her, and she noted for the first time that he had dimples. It was the first time she had ever really paid any detailed attention to his face.

"Yes, ma'am." He mock saluted before opening her door for her. "I'll see you around then."

"Sure." Tenten said and walked inside. She immediately stripped and crawled into her bed but found she couldn't fall asleep.

Was she really going to go on a date with Kiba? She wasn't even sure if she liked him as a friend. And since when did he like her? None of the other leaf ninja kids ever expressed any kind of interest in her.

And not that it mattered, Tenten told herself firmly, but what was Neji going to say?

She groaned at the thought and rolled over, shoving her face in the pillow.


End file.
